1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to trash and waste collection and to receptacles for the deposit of trash, waste and other refuse by members of the general public. More specifically, the invention relates to trash compaction systems for use by the general public.
2. Antecedents of the Invention
Throughout the ages, the disposal of trash, waste and refuse was a problem which required addressing. Increasing environmental regulations and constraints as to disposal, e.g. incineration restrictions, landfill restrictions, etc., as well as demands for increasing the collection, efficiency, safety and temporary storage of trash, waste and other refuse prior to disposal have been of major concern.
Development in the areas of collection and treatment of trash, waste and refuse prior to collection by commercial or public trash haulers has been considered from cost, space and efficiency standpoints, as well as from the standpoints of sanitation, health, odor and pest control.
While trash compaction systems have been in usage, such systems were relegated to commercial installations, primarily due to size, cost and operator safety constraints. Such systems comprised a hydraulic compaction mechanism which included a cylinder having a piston rod and a trash compaction ram or plate fixed to the end of the piston rod. A motor was employed to drive a hydraulic fluid pump and a fluid control system actuated fluid flow into the cylinder, resulting in movement of the piston to force the ram against the trash or refuse to be compacted and subsequently withdrawal of the ram so that additional trash may be deposited over the compacted trash.
Among the major concerns in connection with the design of such systems was operator safety, i.e. avoidance of inadvertent engagement between an operator body appendage, clothing, etc. and the compaction mechanism, as well as controls against the placement of inappropriate objects in the compacting unit, e.g. objects too large, objects not designed or otherwise unsafe for compaction, e.g. metal objects, hazardous materials, etc.
Since the prior systems were primarily designed for industrial or commercial applications, wherein trained operators were employed to load the compactor and operate the compaction mechanism, operator safety training was heavily relied upon.
With public safety of paramount consideration, public use trash collection systems employed at public access areas, e.g. amusement parks, fast food restaurants, public streets, parks and other facilities, comprised either an open container lined with a plastic trash bag or a container lined with a plastic trash bag having a lid with an access opening. Since the material deposited in the container was not compacted, labor costs of frequent bag removal were incurred. Further, because the waste collected in these containers, particularly food waste, was accessible to pests, scavengers and the like, employment of such containers included concomitant pest control issues as well as scavenger problems, wherein collected trash became strewn about by the scavenger in search of food or some other thing of perceived value.
The need was apparent for a cost effective public access trash collection system wherein deposited trash would be inaccessible to the public, pests and scavengers and which compacted the deposited trash for more efficient handling, while at the same time maintaining public safety by minimizing the potential for injury resulting from operation of a compaction mechanism.